Cold Day

What Is Cold Day?

January 9th is "Kaze no Hi" (Cold Day) in Japan. On the 9th day of the first lunar month of 1795, the great yokozuna Tanikaze Kajinosuke caught the influenza that was raging through Edo and died at age 44 while still an active wrestler. Along with the story that even the strongest wrestler could not beat a cold, the day is known as a reminder to take care of your health during this cold time of year.

Yokozuna Tanikaze Kajinosuke

Tanikaze was born in 1750 in Kasuminome Village, Miyagi District, Mutsu Province (today's Kasuminome, Wakabayashi Ward, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture). His real name was Kaneko Yoshiro.

• A 63-bout winning streak: At his peak, from 1778 to 1782, he won 63 consecutive bouts. This long stood as the record until Futabayama, a yokozuna of the Showa era, won 69 in a row.
• An imposing build: He is said to have stood about 189 cm tall and weighed about 169 kg, and he was one of the leading figures of Edo sumo's golden age. In 1789 he received a yokozuna license together with Onogawa Kisaburo.
• Still unbeaten at the end: When he died he was on a 35-bout winning streak -- truly still in his prime.

The Cold Called "Tanikaze"

About ten years before his death, during a flu outbreak, Tanikaze is said to have remarked, "No one can knock me down in the ring. If you want to see me fall, come when I've caught a cold." The cold going around at that time came to be called "Tanikaze." The 1795 flu that actually killed him was called "Oikari-kaze," but it is said to have later been confused with "Tanikaze."

Fun Facts About Colds

• The kanji for "cold": The word is written with the characters for "wind" and "evil," said to come from the old belief that bad "wind" (evil energy) entering the body caused illness.
• You "pull in" a cold: In Japanese, you "kakaru" (contract) most illnesses but "hiku" (pull) a cold. One theory says "hiku" carries the sense of drawing something into the body.
• Antibiotics don't work: Most colds are caused by viruses, and antibiotics, which work against bacteria, have no effect on viruses.
• What "ryukan" means: "Ryukan," the illness that killed Tanikaze, is short for "ryuko-sei kanbo" (epidemic cold), what we now call influenza.

Ways to Spend Cold Day

• Review the basics, such as washing your hands and gargling when you get home, and ventilating and humidifying your rooms
• Go to bed a little earlier than usual and get plenty of sleep
• Check how work can be handed over at your workplace so you can rest when you're unwell
• Look into sumo history, such as the statue of Tanikaze in Kotodai Park in Sendai

Even an unbeatable yokozuna was brought down by an epidemic cold. Why not spend January 9th looking after your own health and that of the people around you?